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Coming of Age

What rating would you give Coming of Age?  

5 members have voted

  1. 1. What rating would you give Coming of Age?

    • 5. It?s great, I loved it!
      1
    • 4. It?s good.
      2
    • 3. It?s average.
      2
    • 2. It?s not that good.
      0
    • 1. I hated it.
      0


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Series: Star Trek: The Next Generation

Season: 1

Episode #: 18

Production #: 119

Episode Name: Coming of Age

Original Air Date: 03.14.88

 

Wesley Crusher beams down to Relva VII to take the entrance examination for Starfleet Academy. Wes copes with the exams and unannounced tests including the dreaded psych test which put him in a situation similar to what Picard faced with Wes' father.

 

Meanwhile on the Enterprise, Admiral Gregory Quinn comes aboard to see his old friend Picard. Tensions build however when Lt. Commander Remmick, under Quinn's orders, begins an investigation into Picard's performance as captain. Unbeknownst to Picard, Quinn wishes to recommend him for the position of Commandant of Starfleet Academy but wants to ensure his loyalty.

 

Despite performing well, Wes is not chosen for admittance to the Academy. His spirits are buoyed however when Picard, who has turned down the promotion, admits that he, too, failed the first time he applied to the Academy.

 

Trivia note: Many of you may have recognized the actor who played Tac Officer Chang (Robert Ito) as the actor who played Sam Fujiyama on the long running television series "Quincy).

 

Cast:

 

Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard

Jonathan Frakes as William Thomas Riker

Brent Spiner as Data

LeVar Burton as Geordi La Forge

Michael Dorn as Worf

Gates McFadden as Beverly Crusher

Marina Sirtis as Deanna Troi

Denise Crosby as Natasha (Tasha) Yar

Wil Wheaton as Wesley Crusher

 

Guest Cast:

 

Tasia Valenza as T'Shanik

Ward Costello as Admiral Gregory Quinn

Robert Schenkkan as Lt. Cmdr. Dexter Remmick

Robert Ito as Tac Officer Chang

Stephen Gregory as Jake Kurland

John Putch as Mordock

 

Director: Mike Vejar

Written By: Sandy Fries

 

Related Items:

Relva VII

Benzites

Algeron IV

Beltane IX

Zaldans

Shuttlecraft 13, Enterprise-D

Commodore Robert Wesley

Jake Kurland

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Very good episode. Yes it did involve Wesley Crusher, but at least he had something to contribute in this episode.

 

I liked the idea that he would be placed in the same situation as Picard when Jack Crusher was killed, but the problem was that they wasted so much time in the first season of TNG showing us how great and perfect Wesley was, they didn't use the chance to show a boy perhaps resentful of Picard for not saving his father.

 

How much more interesting would Wesley have been if he was messed up? If he was lost for a direction without his father? and that manifested itself as anger towards Picard.

 

Imagine if Crusher and Picard got together, how would Wesley have reacted? His mother falling in love with the guy who was her husbands BEST friend??? Who didn't save him from death???

 

Maybe an edge could have been added? Maybe Picard didn't do everything he could have done to save Jack? Perhaps due to his own desire for Beverley? Would that have clouded his judgement? Maybe they weren't such best friends.

 

Dear god, I should have been writing this stuff.

 

Man, the lost opportunity!!!! :P

 

The Remmick investigation was interesting because it represented the beginning of the "Conspiracy" arc that would conclude later.

 

This episode gets a 3.

 

If it was written the way I just described it would have got a 5.

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This is a great episode that shows exactly what it takes to enter Starfleet Academy. For that reason, it makes “Coming of Age” a very interesting episode. Even though it’s a Wesley episode “Coming of Age” is in my top ten favorite TNG episodes list. I like Mordock, his species is one of my favorites on TNG.

 

 

**** out of *****

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5 from me. I loved how Remmick was performed. The students at the Academy were a great story, though the girl who played the attractive Oliana (or was it Oliara, whatever) was a bit wooden with her acting. Stage fright perhaps? Fantastic episode.

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